Two Spanish nationals arrested in Venezuela with Spanish secret service links
16/9/2024 6:04
Two Spanish nationals
arrested in Venezuela had no links to the Spanish secret service
and Spain was not involved in any plan to politically
destabilize the South American country, a Spanish foreign
ministry source said on Sunday.
Two Spaniards, three U.S. citizens and a Czech citizen were
arrested in Venezuela on suspicion of links to an alleged plot
to undermine President Nicolas Maduro's government, Venezuela's
interior minister said on Saturday.
"Spain denies and absolutely rejects any insinuation of
being implicated in an operation of political destabilization in
Venezuela," the Spanish foreign ministry source said.
"The government has confirmed that the (two Spanish
citizens) detained do not form part of the Centre for National
Intelligence or any state organisation. Spain defends a
democratic and peaceful solution to the situation in Venezuela."
The arrests are likely to deepen Venezuela's already tense
relations with Spain and the United States after a disputed
presidential election in July.
Venezuelan Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello told a press
conference on Saturday that two Spaniards were allegedly linked
to Spain's secret service and were planning the assassination of
a mayor.
He named the Spaniards as José María Basoa and Andrés
Martínez Adasne. Photographs of the men were shown on state
television.
The father of Adasne, Andrés Martínez, told El Mundo
newspaper on Sunday his son did not work for the Spanish secret
service.
"My son does not work for the CNI, of course not. We are
waiting for information from the consulate and embassy. We still
do not know what they are accused of or the reason for their
arrest," he said.
Cabello also accused three U.S. citizens and a Czech of
involvement in terrorist acts, including alleged plans to
assassinate Maduro and other officials.
The U.S. State Department said on Saturday that "any claims
of U.S. involvement in a plot to overthrow Maduro are
categorically false".
The State Department spokesperson also confirmed that a
"member of the U.S. military" was being held and noted
"unconfirmed reports of two additional U.S. citizens detained in
Venezuela".
The European Union's top diplomat, Josep Borrell, called
Maduro's government "dictatorial" during an interview with
Spanish television channel Telecinco on Sunday.
On Saturday, a Spanish foreign ministry source told Reuters
it was asking Venezuela for more information.
"The Spanish embassy has sent a verbal note to the
Venezuelan government asking for access to the detained citizens
in order to verify their identities and their nationality and in
order to know what they are accused of exactly," the source
said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The Spanish nationals were detained while taking photographs
in the town of Puerto Ayacucho, Cabello said.
Venezuela recalled its ambassador to Spain last week for
consultations and summoned the Spanish ambassador to appear at
the foreign ministry after a Spanish minister accused Maduro of
running a "dictatorship".
Caracas was also angered by Spanish Prime
Minister Pedro Sanchez' decision to meet Venezuelan opposition
candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, who went into exile in Spain
last week after being threatened with arrest.
Tensions between Venezuela and the United States have also
intensified after Washington recognised Gonzalez Urrutia as the
winner of the July 28 election.
|
|